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The national teams of Serbia and Montenegro will compete in the World Cup with only 22 players - FIFA has decided not to allow the inclusion of a player to replace the center-back Dušan Petković.
The son of the head coach Ilja Petković left the national team camp on Tuesday, unable to withstand the pressure from the media. For several days, the team's strategist was heavily criticized for choosing his own son over another player. The defender himself also received a lot of negative feedback.
"After the meeting with a FIFA representative, it was decided that coach I. Petković will not invite a new player to replace Dušan," said a representative of the national team. "FIFA rules clearly state that a player can only be replaced in the national team at the last minute due to injury, and the current circumstances do not meet this rule."
"We will be the only team in the championship to compete with only 22 players, but we have already accepted this. Ultimately, solving this problem has reduced the pressure not only on the coach, but also on the remaining players."
